Authors:
Sandro Barone
;
Alessandro Paoli
;
Armando Viviano Razionale
and
Roberto Savignano
Affiliation:
University of Pisa, Italy
Keyword(s):
Orthodontic Aligner, Finite Element Model, Aligner Thickness.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Bioimaging
;
Biomechanical Imaging
;
Biomedical Engineering
;
Feature Recognition and Extraction Methods
;
Image Processing Methods
;
Medical Imaging and Diagnosis
Abstract:
In recent years, the public demand of less invasive orthodontic treatments has led to the development of appliances that are smaller, lower profile and more transparent with respect to conventional brackets and wires. Among aesthetic appliances, removable thermoplastic aligners gained instant appeal to patients since able to perform comprehensive orthodontic treatments without sacrificing comfort issues. The aligner must deliver an appropriate force in order to move the tooth into the expected position. However, at present, the relationship between applied force and aligner properties (i.e., aligner’s thickness) is poorly understood. In this paper, a patient-specific framework has been developed to simulate orthodontic tooth movements by using aligners. In particular, a finite element model has been created in order to optimise the aligner’s thickness with regard to the magnitude of the force-moment system delivered to a mandibular central incisor during bucco-lingual tipping.